75 million euro project planned in Habach - but it needs "enormous area"

Created: 07/08/2022, 08:00

By: Franziska Seliger

This is what the planned halls could look like, which are to be designed “with lots of wood and greenery”.

© Design: Jocher

It is a project that could be unique in Bavaria: With a total investment volume of around 75 million euros, the company C-Resource in Habach wants to build production halls for the production of a humus-carbon fertilizer.

This fertilizer could help reduce nitrate levels in drinking water.

The halls could be up by the end of 2023.

Habach

– The plans have apparently been in the making for a long time behind the scenes.

As Alois Philipp, development engineer at the company C-Resource from Issum in North Rhine-Westphalia, says in an interview with the local newspaper, the project has been in the works for around one and a half years.

In Habach, the company believes that it has now found the ideal property: several production halls for the production of a humus-carbon fertilizer are to be built on almost 28,000 square meters to the west of the existing commercial area.

In addition, an associated administration, laboratory and workshop building.

The main problem with the project, according to the architect Stefan Jocher from Penzberg, who was commissioned with the planning, is the enormous area that is required for it - otherwise there are only advantages.

As Jocher explains, the company wants its project to solve the increasingly pressing problem that farmers spread too much manure on their fields, which pollutes the groundwater with nitrate.

In the future, farmers will no longer be allowed to spread as much of their liquid manure as fertilizer, adds Philipp.

This was prohibited by the “Soil Health Act” that the European Union will enact in 2030.

The photo shows the existing commercial area and the location of the planned new facility, which is to be built in the curve of the planned connecting road from the Habacher Kreisel to the Antdorfer Straße.

Due to the connection requirement, an additional commercial area would have to be designated on the B 472 (bottom center of the picture).

© Map: Jocher

But where does the liquid manure that accumulates in the stables go?

The company C-Resource wants to give an answer to this.

Put simply, the company wants to produce so-called biochar from cuttings or damaged wood that accumulates in the region.

This then acts as a filter for the liquid manure.

According to Jocher, decentralized container systems are to be set up at the participating farmers from a radius of around 40 kilometers.

According to Jocher, an investment sum of around 25 million euros is expected for these systems alone.

Another 50 million would be planned for the halls in Habach.

If the manure has seeped through the biochar, water is produced that the farmer can use directly on the farm.

The filter container saturated with the nutrients is transported to Habach, where the material is processed into fertilizer, says Jocher's employee Veronika Weinert.

The finished fertilizer can then be used by the farmers.

Project would be “unique in Bavaria”

As Jocher emphasizes, around six such production sites are currently planned across Germany for the production of a humus-carbon fertilizer.

However, none are in operation yet.

The project in Habach is probably unique in Bavaria.

“It is a very innovative process.” As Philipp says, the Technical University of Munich will provide scientific support for the first few years;

Among other things, the researchers want to find out how effective the fertilizer produced is for the soil.

However, the municipality has not yet clearly positioned itself on the project, as the second mayor Georg Hoiß jun.

says on request.

So far, the information available has been too imprecise for this.

Now the plans are becoming more concrete, but there are still many unanswered questions.

This will have to be dealt with in future meetings.

Area directly next to the planned surrounding road

According to Jocher, C-Resource would like to lease a privately owned plot of land in a former gravel pit for the project.

The area to the west of the existing commercial area would be directly next to the planned new bypass road (we reported).

Here, according to Jocher, there would also be room for a municipal building yard.

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But in order to be able to build on the area, the municipality would first have to change the land use plan and draw up a development plan.

Because of the so-called connection requirement - i.e. so that the halls are not isolated in open space - the existing commercial area would also have to be expanded by around 9500 square meters along the B 472, according to Jocher.

Under this condition, the district building office in the district office would already “fundamentally” support the project.

Habach would be "ideal location"

According to Jocher, Habach is an ideal location for the production plant because the infrastructure for transport to and from the B 472 is already in place.

In addition, with the former gravel pit, a “relatively inferior area” is available, which in its entirety only belongs to one owner.

So that the large halls fit better into the landscape, they should be designed "with wood and lots of green".

In addition, PV systems are planned for the roofs.

Around 35 jobs are to be created.

"A sensational side effect" of the system, according to Philipp, is that around 1,200 modern energy-saving houses can be supplied with the surplus energy from fertilizer production.

Jocher is thinking of new construction projects in Habach and buildings in the commercial area.

According to Philipp, the next step will soon be a discussion with the government of Upper Bavaria about the plans.

If all decision-makers agree to the project, the production facility could be ready by the end of 2023.

According to Jocher, C-Resource has already founded a corresponding company in Habach.